A Christmas Miracle
by Sciencegal
Summary: A Christmas Eve run turns bad when and explosion traps Raph and Leo with Karai. The only way out is the ignore past feuds and help each other. One-shot. Won third place for best happy ending in 2011 SS fanfic competition.


**A/N: This is a long overdue Secret Santa from over on Steathy Stories. I always overdo things . This little one-shot's a MONSTER compared to the others. I'm Shimonu's secret santa. She's already seen a sneak pic of this big baby on Christmas XD It's done NOW! So read! :P**

* * *

><p>Raphael had a firm opinion of <em>human<em> holidays. He had grown up with very little knowledge of them other than television. Even the _American_ holidays he knew less of by word. His father, and sensei, had lived in Japan, so the old rat knew only the holidays celebrated _there_. Though he had only been an average rat then. There was no way he could really understand the celebrations the people – _his_ family – knew. So how would he explain these types of celebrations to his sons after his mutation? So instead, _if_ he told them, it had been through the eyes of a stranger to the idea and never fully celebrated. So Raphael already had been imprinted with a disassociation to the holidays of man.

With the friendship of April, and then Casey, Raphael heard the stories with a more personal ring to it. Still, he felt alienated from it. It wasn't _his_ holidays. He was still new to the whole thing. It wasn't something you could fully understand just in _words_. Raphael and his family had to be taught about these holidays' traditions and celebrations. Every bit of it was a new experience. He knew from just watching his small family that Michelangelo immediately took to it, but Raphael had an opinion on that too. Mikey worked well with change. His little brother was corrigible in that regard. But that was _Mikey_.

Raphael always knew change was his worst enemy. He felt threatened when the life he lived was questioned. He may not like what life threw at him almost every day, but it was something he felt was _his_. His brothers; his father: these belonged to him and he refused to let anything on the outside get between them. He loved his family with a fierce loyalty because he _knew_ life sucked. How could anything good come from a world where every day, a change could bring about their downfall? One small thing and everything he ever loved about this cruel world could be gone in a New York minute. The only thing he fully understood about life above was cruelty and hate. He didn't believe there _was_ anything to celebrate. All the holidays that he finally got to witness with his own eyes – Halloween, Easter, Christmas, New Years, and Independence Day – seemed hollow to him.

He liked Halloween well enough. Finally, no one ran from his appearance. No one tried to kill him because of who he was. He could walk the streets he protected and people complimented him and passed out candy. It was the only time he was appreciated topside. Even the Halloween specials gave him something to do with his family.

He could understand Independence Day when it was explained to him. He didn't like the idea of being ruled by a king either and could understand celebrating the day they broke apart from England. The fireworks were nice to look at as well. Raphael especially liked the noise they made when they blasted apart in the sky. It still wasn't his favorite thing to watch fireworks, but it gave him time with his brothers. That was something he knew he needed more of.

Easter still didn't make sense to him. Again, the candy he liked, but the history was lost on him. The holiday didn't seem to have a firm purpose. There wasn't even any Easter specials airing on television that he could use to make sense of it. He didn't understand the idea of some giant rabbit coming into people's houses to leave candy in baskets. He wasn't against the idea that it could be completely impossible – he was a giant turtle in comparative standards – but a _bunny rabbit_ giving _candy_ to people and not being _shot down_ for what it was? It wasn't realistic and as such, it was lost on him. He even thought the Christian version of Easter was ridiculous. No one could rise from the dead. Once you're dead, that's it. There was no coming back from that. That was a lesson he knew when he was very young. He never got used to that holiday and it was something he never would. He let April and Casey deal with that.

New Years was another holiday he understood in a maybe different way than most people. It was another year he was alive and with his family. It was only made better the nights his brothers watched the ball drop in Times Square. Sometimes, Leo would make it a training exercise not to be seen, but it was worth it. Watching the excitement on Michelangelo's face always made things worth it. Raphael nearly felt part of the celebrations; especially when he was right up next to it. He still felt it was a _human_'s holiday, but that didn't stop his enjoyment of it.

Then there was Christmas; another holiday with two different meanings. He never understood the idea of a fat man in a red suit climbing down chimneys to leave presents. Sometimes it even made him laugh when he thought of the guy getting stuck. He's seen what passed for chimneys in the city. There was no way a guy that big could fit. It was even impossible to get to every house in one night. The only way he could do that was with magic and Raphael didn't believe in magic. The Christian version of Christmas was at least a little more reasonable; but why would people celebrate the birth of some kid from the past by passing gifts to each other? What was the point of it all?

Raphael didn't understand it. He didn't understand the joy. He couldn't see the true meaning of Christmas. He saw, even in the bristling cold winter holiday, people acting just as they always did. Death and crime still littered the streets, the cold only shortening the numbers. April preached about 'Christmas miracles', but Raphael never witnessed one. That was until now. This Christmas, Raphael's whole tolerance for the holiday of giving was about to change.

It all started as an average day. Well maybe it wasn't so average. It was worse. It was _Christmas eve_ and Mikey was in full Christmas spirit. This meant 24/7 chatterbox. Raphael groaned when Mikey ran into the room wearing a Santa hat and jingle bells. Just one look and Raph already knew his nightmare was just beginning. "Merry Christmas, Raph!" Mikey said; the excitement in his voice grating on Raph's nerves. "Have a Christmas cookie!" A platter was shoved under Raph's nose. The red-banded turtle looked down at the frosted Christmas tree, angels, and other such shaped sugar cookies and frowned. Only because he loved cookies, did he take a few.

"Go away." Raph grumbled between bites.

"It's Christmas, Raph! Don't be such a grump." Mikey bent over, causing the white fluff at the end of his hat to bounce, and placed his hands on his knees. "You're supposed to be cheery!"

"In tha words of Scrooge, 'bah humbug'. And it's Christmas _Eve_, Mikey."

"It's the same thing."

"Mikey, those cookies are for tomorrow." Donatello's voice came from the kitchen as he walked over to them. Raph was at least glad that Mikey was the only Christmas nut in his family. He was also glad Mikey's attention was now diverted.

"So? There's still a lot more." Mikey said as he held the platter in Don's view. "See? Do _you_ want some?"

"I'll hold off, thank you." Donny said with narrowed eyes as he snatched the platter to take it back to the kitchen. Raphael had to laugh at the pout that put on Mikey's face.

"Heh, thought it was a day fer 'joy' and all that." Raph teased.

"You're a Christmas killer." Mikey said, "You should get coal tomorrow."

"At least I can keep warm." Raph shot back, easily.

"Hey guys?" Leonardo asked as he walked over, "Think you can handle a short run topside? It started snowing and it's not _too_ cold."

"Snow?" Mikey nearly squealed; just beating Raph's own response. "I love snow! I'm definitely coming!"

"What took ya so long ta ask?" Raph said as he stood.

Donny popped his head back in the room, "I'll go, just give me a minute."

It wasn't too long before they were up there. Raphael always loved looking down at the world from above. The cold wind bit at his exposed skin and whipped his mask tails out behind him. Leonardo had insisted upon them all bundling up and since Raph knew the dangers of not doing so, he had agreed. The winter clothing was cumbersome, but it was warm. Raph grinned as he watched the few who braved the cold down below; some struggling with last minute gifts. They looked so much smaller from where he stood crouched.

"We can't stay out here too long," Leo said from somewhere behind him. "We'll circle around the park then head back."

Raphael waited just a moment longer before he stood to follow. It was much easier to ignore Mikey's stupid hat while up here. At least Leo put his foot down on the bells. Even if he couldn't have heard them in this wind, the _thought_ of them would have drove him mad. For now, all he had to contend with was _the hat_.

Everywhere he looked, Raph could see scattered Christmas lights. Most of this part of the city didn't decorate, but Times Square would have been blazing in lights from the tree set up there. When Central Park came into sight, Raphael stopped for only a moment. Even though the whole Christmas season was load of bull to him, it still was grand. The park had set up a drive through Christmas light show. April had once told them it was five dollars per car to drive through the portion that had been closed off for it. Of course Raph thought that was ridiculous. Still, it was nice.

Up ahead, Leonardo froze. Raphael could read his brother's tense shoulders and understanding made him growl. Apparently even the Foot didn't take Christmas seriously. Raph went for his sais, but Leo's raised hand stilled him.

"What's this about, Karai?" Leonardo asked. Raphael hadn't seen Karai, but now that he looked around, he saw her watching from a higher building. The woman didn't respond even as her ninjas rushed in and surrounded them. This time, Leo could not stay Raph's hand as he gripped his sai.

"What's wrong, Karai? Sending in yer litta ninjas so ya don't hafta fight? What, yer a coward now?" Raph taunted.

"Quiet, Raph." Leo hissed. Raph watched his brother draw a single katana and he knew Leo didn't find any of this too serious. Otherwise, he'd have both his swords. Raph hated him for that. This was _Karai_. That woman would kill them if they let her. So he took it upon himself to take her down. He reasoned with himself that if Leo wouldn't do it, someone had to. She was just another Shredder to him. Without another word, Raph ran towards the foot ninjas and used them to leap to the higher building. The footsteps he heard behind him could only be Leonardo, but Raphael could care less of what his brother thought of him at that moment. Leo's calls were ignored.

"Yer goin' down, Karai!" Raph growled as he sliced both sais through the air in front of him. The look Karai gave him was full of what she thought of him: contempt. Raphael could read that well in every way about her. Karai thought she was too good for him. "And it'll be right here!" Raphael roared as he charged her.

His sais met her single katana. He didn't even see her draw it. "You do not understand!" She seethed, her Japanese accent making her voice sound even more demeaning. "You should have stayed away tonight."

"Keep talkin', lady." Raph growled.

"Raphael, what do you think you're doing!" Leonardo's voice was closer now. Raph could almost feel his eyes on his shell. Still, he wasn't going to be stopped.

Karai pushed against his sais before kicking his plastron, finally forcing Raphael to back off. This was only temporary. Raph's anger grew and he channeled it into his next attack. Again, Karai caught it easily, but the force backed her up a pace.

"Your insubordination shows no end, _Raphael_. It will be your downfall someday." Karai hissed.

"That ain't no threat comin' from you." Raph shot back.

The next time Karai broke away, her katana sliced into Raph's arm. It wasn't deep, but it was enough to distract him from her next kick. Raphael was sent to the ground and it was only a moment before Leonardo's hands were there to pick him back up.

"You swore you would leave us be, Karai. I warned you." Leonardo said with narrowed eyes. "Why are you doing this?"

"I did not wish this to be, Leonardo." Karai said as she held her katana by her side. "It is not my word. Leave this place before it is too late."

"I ain't listenin' ta yer bull!" Raph growled. He tried to pull out of his brother's arms, but Leo refused to release him. "Lemme go, Leo!"

"What do you mean?" Leo asked her.

"I-" Karai began, but before she could continue, the ground beneath their feet started to shake. Raph felt Leo's arms finally release him as the three of them tried to keep on their feet. "It's already too late!" Karai yelled above the rising roars of the building below their feet. All at once, the building imploded. Raph felt airborne for the briefest of moments as the noise level reached such a volume that it couldn't even be heard. _Oh shell!_ was Raphael's last thought before the darkness clamed him…

Raphael woke coughing. He rolled over onto his side to better clear his lungs before he could attempt to look around himself. What he saw was dust still settling upon mounds of collapsed building parts. Everywhere he looked he saw it. A large chunk of the cement was lying a few feet over him across more of the stuff so he was trapped inside but still relatively safe. The dust caused him to cough again as he peered out through a gap. "Leo?" He called. He remembered his brother had been right beside him.

He didn't receive a response right away and the loud crashing informed him the building wasn't done yet. Then he heard it: "I'm here! Are you alright? Where are you?" Raph noted Leo's voice sounded as choked as his did, but there was something else there: pain. He knew Leo was trying hard to hide it though.

Raph checked himself for injuries, but he only found the cut from the fight and a little blood coming from a head wound. Even his wrist hurt a little, but he wasn't bad off. "I'm fine. Jus' sittin' here in tha dark. What about you, fearless?"

"Just fine." Leo's lie was still clear to his brother. "Just keep talking so I can find you. Don't move."

"It's not like I can right now." Raph pushed against the brick over top of him, but stopped when the grinding of falling cement told him that may not be a good idea. "Shell, I think I may need yer help anyway. The fuckin' ceilin's threatening ta come down on me if I try to by myself."

"Then don't."

This time, Leo's voice sounded closer. "Do ya know if Donny and Mikey could be in this mess?"

"No. I don't believe they joined us." Leo's arm and then face appeared in the gap. "There you are."

"Well ya gonna help me 'r not?" Raph grunted. He could barely see much of his brother, but so far, Leo just looked grimy and had a few scraps. Nothing seemed to point to why he sounded hurt and Raph couldn't wait to find out what it was.

"You're trapped pretty good." Leo commented, the sounds of shuffling pointing to where he had started digging. "You're right about needing help."

"Are ya really okay, bro?" Raph asked, "Ya don't sound too good."

"I said I'm fine." The cement above Raphael's head shifted before the gap grew large enough to squeeze through. "Hurry up and get out." Leo demanded. Raph quickly obeyed; the sound of more crashing bricks following him. Once free, he dusted himself off and gave Leo and even more thorough look-over. "Raph, don't worry about me." Leo complained, obviously recognizing the look. Again, Raph could see nothing visible, but Leo's posture _was_ slightly off. What could be wrong with him?

A startled scream stilled the brothers. The two of them looked towards the source, both recognizing the telltale accent. Leonardo was the first to utter her name: "Karai!" Raphael followed when Leo took off.

They found Karai trapped by a portion of the ceiling collapsed across her legs. Raphael stopped short and just watched as she tried to push the cement off of her, but she didn't have the strength. Raph felt a sick satisfaction from that. He blamed her for everything. He blamed her for the explosion and whatever was wrong with his brother. She deserved to die. It was about time, really. I mean she _did_ trash their lair and nearly killed them all in less than a few hours.

Then his grin evaporated. He glared as Leonardo walked over and began to help her. "Whaddaya think yer doin'?" Raphael asked him.

"What does it look like?" Leonardo asked back, "Stop standing there and help me already."

Raph glanced at Karai, who seemed more worried about her predicament then her savior, before turning back to his brother. "With Karai? Are ya crazy? She did _this_!" He threw his arms out on either side of him, "And yer thinkin' about _savin'_ her?"

The crumbling building distracted Raph for a moment. It sounded to be getting louder. Raphael wondered if this place would even hold up. Then he heard a thud, bringing his attention back to his ailing brother. Leonardo was shakily holding himself up on his hands and knees, obviously having fallen when Raph wasn't looking. "Hey," Raph called as he ran over to wrap a helping arm around his brother, "What happened?"

"I'm fine," Leonardo grounded out as he allowed the help. Raph noticed his hand reach for the back of his head.

"Lemme see." Raph said as he slowly untied the knot of his brother's mask. It was underneath the blue cloth that Raphael found the hidden injury: a small cut with surrounding bruising. He pressed a finger against it, asking, "Does this hurt?" He received a sharp intake of breath and his brother jerking away from him.

"Don't _do_ that!" Leo said through gritted teeth.

"So it does hurt." Raphael surmised with a smirk that held no humor, "How bad is it?"

"It's fine." By now, Leonardo had made it to his feet and pulled away completely. Raphael watched his brother closely. Leo looked shaky and still slightly unsteady on his feet. His eyes were dazed and Raph noticed a rare confusion in them before they landed on Karai's still trapped form. Then Leo's eyes cleared. "Help me." He said as he went back to freeing her.

It was like Leonardo had temporarily forgotten what he had been doing. Raphael wished he could really know what was going on with his brother. He was scared the injury was a lot more than just painful. Leonardo's behavior was worrying him. It was for that reason Raphael went in to help his enemy.

Karai was freed fairly easily with the two of them working together. She was quick to pull herself out of harm's way and attempt to stand onto her feet. That's when she realized she couldn't. Leonardo was there to catch her before she fell over. "I should thank you." Karai said in a softer voice than normal, "You did not have to help me…"

"Yer right about that," Raphael growled.

"I am not used to needing assistance. I am sure you understand this, Leonardo." She said, almost pointedly.

"We need to get out of here." Leonardo said, ignoring Karai's implication, "I'm not sure how stable this place is."

"Got it, fearless," Raph said with an air of annoyance at being told such, "I'll look around. Neitha of ya should be walkin' around much yerselves. And don't think ya can change my mind, fearless. I ain't gonna let ya get worse on me than ya already seem ta be. Ya obviously have some type a' serious head injury."

Raphael walked off, then, to take a better look at his surroundings. He found the ceiling above to be sealed off by debris. One wall was still standing, but the rest was sealed off by more of the crumbling structure. He couldn't see any sort of exit and the place they had was only big enough to fit his bedroom in. Even as he looked around, he caught movement. The building was still threatening total collapse. This wasn't going to be easy.

Raphael felt for his shell cell – maybe he could call Mikey and Donny if they were left behind as Leo said they had been – but he wasn't too surprised it wasn't there. He didn't even have his sais. He had been holding them when the place imploded. They could be anywhere. So they were trapped with no way of knowing if their brothers were coming for them and Raph couldn't protect himself from Karai if she tried to pull something. He didn't trust her and never will. Karai had done too much to him and his family to have his trust. It was always Leo who thought better of her. Even Mikey and Donny tended to lean more on Raph's side after the latest search and destroy mission. Oh how he wished Leo had killed Karai after he had rounded up the scattered family again…

"This place should be leveled by now." Karai's voice carried over to him and Raph narrowed his eyes at it. "We should be grateful the detonators did not go off according to plan."

"This place was to be demolished?" Leo replied back.

"Yes. I tried to warn you of this, but I didn't have the chance to-"

"Heh, yeah right, lady," Raph growled, turning back to her and narrowing her eyes at Leonardo's attempts to tie her injured leg up, "Like ya really wanted ta save us from being blown apart."

"It is not I who made that call." Karai shot back.

"And why would she want to get herself blown up too?" Leonardo argued, "If she was really trying to kill us this way – which I don't think she would have – she would have left us _before_ the place blew up."

"Now yer defendin' her? What's wrong with you, Leo? She's tried to _kill us_ more times than I can _count_! How can you be on her side?" Raphael was furious. He hated being buried beneath who-knew-how-much rubble with _Karai_, his mortal enemy, and _Leonardo_, the one brother he seemed to find it too easy to fight with in tense situations. He couldn't believe his luck. He could settle with Mikey if he had to. At least then _he _could play 'big brother'. He just didn't want to be _here_.

"You don't _think_, Raph. That's your problem." Leo shot back. His full attention was now on his brother. Raphael almost forgot about Leo's condition as his fists clenched.

"No, _you_ don't think! She's our _enemy_! When are ya gonna start seein' her as one instead a' some stupid _crush_!"

Raphael watched Leo's head jerk slightly back like the word '_crush_' had been a physical blow. He opened his mouth to say some kind of response before closing it again and Raph could nearly feel the tension his brother was feeling – happening to be sitting _right next_ to the woman being discussed in such a way. Then Raph noticed something else: his brother's eyes began to close as he fell back; right into Karai's startled lap.

"Leo…?" Raph asked, starting forward.

"I believe you were correct about his head injury…" Karai said as she pushed Leo's head away from her chest; letting him lie on her knee instead. "…If he's having fainting spells like this…"

"Leo?" Raphael wasn't really listening to Karai as he knelt down and shook his brother a little. "Leonardo? Come on, wake up!"

Leonardo did begin to groan a little bit, but he didn't really wake up. This only worried Raphael more. He wished he had remembered Leo was injured before. It had to be his fault Leo passed out like this. It didn't matter if it was going to happen whether or not he said anything. This whole thing was his fault. Leo wouldn't even be on this building if it hadn't been for Raph's rash decision to kill Karai. Oh, and it was Karai's fault too for bombing the place. If he wasn't so worried about Leo right now, he'd tell her what he thought about all this.

Finally, Leo's eyes parted open, blinked, and then opened a little wider. Raphael was so relieved, it was clearly visible. "You alright now?" Raph asked him. "Come on, bro." He lifted Leo to his feet and held him up.

Leonardo was a little slow to respond and his words slurred just a bit. "M'fine…"

"Yeah right." Raphael said, "Yer definitely takin' it easy from now on. Yer stayin' right here." He laid Leo down again so he was a little ways away from Karai. "Don't move. I'll get us outta here myself."

"Raph…" Leo groaned.

"Heh, sorry Leo." Raph teased, enjoying the fact that his brother hated staying put when things needed to be done. "Jus' trust me."

Raphael walked over to the edge of the cave-like part of the collapsed building and felt the tightly-packed cement, metal, and who-knows-what-else that keep them trapped. He could guess fairly quickly that getting out will be a chore. This wasn't the first time he had been inside a collapsed building. He didn't like it then, and he sure as shell didn't like it now.

Again, worries over Leonardo's condition distracted him and he had to glance back at his brother once more. For a fleeting second, he caught Leo without his usual mask as he rubbed his sore head, wincing. Then Leonardo caught his eye and acted like he was never caught doing such a thing. Raph grunted as he rolled his eyes. "Go ahead, Leo. Play like ya ain't hurt. Next time I catch ya makin' light a' sum'thin', I swear I'm gonna hurt ya more." He said, though Leo didn't immediately respond in words. Raph made eye contact with Karai. "Ya let him pass out again, and I kill ya; got it, lady?"

"I will watch him." Karai promised, evenly.

"I said I'm fine, Raph…" Leo barely said above a whisper.

"Then humor me." Raphael turned back to the task at hand with that, feeling a little lighter. Slowly and carefully, he shifted and moved the ruble around, trying hard to find _just one_ gap among it. The odd, still, silence that hovered around him felt almost heavy with a glimpse of things to come. It weighed on him as he dug through the ruble. He wasn't worried about his own safety. No, he was doing this for his brother. He would persevere. He had to.

They were whispering together again. He didn't know why that angered him. The talking meant Leo was conscious. He should be happy to hear his brother's voice. He guessed it was the present company his brother was talking _to_ that bugged him. Always, Raphael had a suspicion Leonardo didn't just _admire_ Karai's believed 'honor' in the face of her father. He believed there was more to it than that. Yes, he believed Leo had a crush on his enemy. He had hoped having her stab Leo with his own sword would be enough to hate her, but still, Leo forgave her – after he was done angsting all over the place and beating Raph's record of rage _and_ nearly killing them all. He couldn't believe that Leo did not kill her for the loss of their home but instead let her live on the grounds of a loose truce. He couldn't believe how far his brother could trust over such obvious evil she had done to them. She was _the enemy_! Didn't Leo get that?

"Raphael!"

The shout caused him to snap back to attention before a growl left his throat. "Karai," he grounded out in response, not even bothering to look at her. He didn't want to see what his mind had started cooking up. He _never_ wanted to think of his brother in bed with that woman _ever again_. "Whaddaya want? Can't ya see I'm busy here?"

"Can you not hear that noise?" She asked in exasperation.

It was only after she said something that the sound reached his ears: a soft groaning sound. As Raph glanced around, the sound became louder as it became more like a grinding and then splintering. It was loud now. Something big was moving above them and fear suddenly gripped Raphael as he slowly glanced towards the ceiling. A small dust cloud formed before Raph looked away and at his brother _who was directly underneath it_. He saw Leo's eyes drift closed before there were forced open again. His brother even tried to lift himself up, but he couldn't even do _that_ anymore. His brother was helpless to escape the danger.

Raphael wasn't aware of _when_ he had started running, but he was already half-way there when the sounds became near deafening in volume. He hardly remembered leaping towards his brother as the dust cloud engulfed him before his ears began to ring as something like a screech echoed through the prison of rock. Then he was lost in darkness once again…

"_Raphael!"_

He felt like he was floating. It was dark and near peaceful in its silence. He wondered if he had ever felt like this in his life. _Probably not…_

"_Raphael!"_

_Stupid voice, go away!_ He was so tired. He didn't want to leave the peaceful darkness just yet. It was nice… But the _damn voice_ wouldn't go away.

"Wake _up_, Raphael!"

"…Shut up…" Raph groaned as feeling returned to him all at once. _Shell, is hurts!_ His eyes blinked open and he found himself staring blurry-eyed at something…green. _…Leo?_ Then it all came back to him. "_Shit_!" Raphael immediately tried to get up, but the movement barely granted him any freedom.

"Do not move. You could end up shifting something the wrong way."

"What da _shell_, Karai?" Raph said, "Do ya have _any_ idea how much I care ta listen to ya right now?"

"You should. I am trying to help you." Karai sounded irate, which Raph found odd. "Do you have any idea how much ruble came down on the two of you?"

"What's got under _yer_ shell?" Raphael tried to turn his head a bit towards her voice.

"_You_." She hissed. "You could have been killed doing what you did. Though it is admirable to protect your brother so, did you even_ think_ about how we would leave this building _without_ your help?"

"Hey, I don't need no lecture from you, Miss Bitch. Keep talkin' and I'll do ta ya like Leo shoulda done ages ago." _Speakin' of Leo…_ Raph glanced down at his brother's head held in his hands. He tried to move his arms, but the effort only cost him pain shouting through his shoulders. "Leo? Come on, bro; say sum'thin'." He said, quietly, as he tried to lift himself a little just to give Leo breathing room. This time, a sharp pain in his side caused him to gasp. "_Fuck_!" Apparently, this time he did not escape serious injury…

"I wish you would not use such obscenities," Karai sighed. "What is the matter now?"

"Ain't nuthin' I need ta tell _you_ about." Raphael growled as he squeezed his eyes shut. He could feel something wet tricking down his side. He hoped he wasn't bleeding _too_ badly. He didn't want to admit it but Karai was right. He was the one who had to get them out of there. If he passed out – or died – Karai really was the only one who could take up the job and she was _injured_. With her legs being crushed as they were, he briefly wondered _how_ she was helping him. Most importantly, he felt he could not trust her as far as _Hun_ could through her. He hoped he didn't doom them all.

He felt it was worth it though. Leonardo was his big brother; leader; and even protector, though that was another thing he would hate to admit. He needed Leo. There was nothing he wouldn't do for _any_ of his brothers. He was glad he could protect his brother from inevitable death.

"You're bleeding."

Her words informed him Karai had uncovered enough of him to see his injury. Raphael despised the scorn in her voice. "Yeah, what of it?" He grunted, "Ya gonna finish helpin' 'r what?" He hated how he still couldn't move much. Then there was the fact he could barely get a deep enough breath of air. He doubted Leo could be doing any better as he was unconscious.

"I am trying. It is difficult when I cannot walk."

Raphael swore the spite in her voice meant she was losing her cool. He didn't think that was possible. Karai was as sharp as her sword and subtle to an extreme. She couldn't be letting her emotions through so clearly. "Hey, don't be mad at me, lady." Raph said.

"How could I not?" Karai's voice cut through the air like a knife. "You are a team's worse nightmare. I could never understand the way you act without thought and yet still manage to survive for as long as you have."

"I don't gotta hear this shit from you." Raphael growled.

"Do you ever think about what you put your brothers through each time you are reckless? Well Leonardo's condition will give you a clue."

"Shut da _shell_ up, _Karai_! It ain't _none_ a' yer business how I live my_ life_!" Raph roared; his fists clenched. What made it all worse is that _he knew_ she was right. _He knew_ he could've gotten his brother killed. If it wasn't for the small warmth just above his plastron, he would believe he _had_ killed his brother. _Thank god_ he was still breathing through all this.

Something hard shifted near his bleeding wound that caused him to nearly cry out as more of the muscle was torn and more blood leaked from it. "_Dammit, _Karai! Be _careful_!" He hissed, guessing she had been the cause.

"It seems there is something piercing your side. It may have to come out as it is the same metal support that is still pinning you. Removing it, however, would leave you to bleed out. I am sure that is not your wish."

"I _really_ don't wanna be stuck like this, ya hear me? I don't care _what_ will happen just _get that thing offa me_!" Again, Raph tried to push himself up, but immediately collapsed with a cry as he felt the metal tear into his side even more.

"_Stay still_!" Karai hissed. "Any more of that and you will truly perish."

"It'd be betta than listenin' ta you like this." Raph grumbled.

"The feeling is mutual." Karai said in response.

A silence stretched between the two of them that Raphael wasn't about to break. He could feel Karai's fingers against his side and he squeezed his eyes shut in his disapproval. Oh, how he wished anyone but _here_ was touching him like this. If he really thought about it, he could think of a few others he would hate to be around in this position, but the fact that Karai was _female_ made it worse. He hated this whole situation with a fiery passion.

Beneath him, Raphael felt movement followed by a quiet groan. He froze as he looked down at his brother. "Leo?" He called softly. He felt Karai freeze herself at his question. He couldn't feel any movement for a while after that and wondered if, maybe, it was just his imagination. But then…

"Ugh…R-Raph…?"

Raphael let a sad smile cross his face as Leonardo's eyes parted open and met his. "Hey, bro."

"…Why are you…on t-top o' me?" Leo asked, his voice sounded almost dazed. "Heavy…"

"Hey, I don't like it any more than you do, but it ain't like I got much of a choice. I'm kinda stuck here 'til Ms. Foot lets me up." Raphael quipped before frowning, "Ya doin' ahright, Leo?"

"Mmm, maybe my head injury is worse than I thought…" Leonardo tried to move his arms free, but they were trapped under Raph and debris.

"Ya think? God, Leo, ya really need ta stop being such a hypocrite. Yanno damn well if it were me, ya'd be harping up and down my shell like sum' mothah hen 'r sum'thin'."

"Yeah…" Leo's eyes never opened all the way and they were already beginning to close again. Raphael had a feeling that was a bad sign.

"Hey, don't leave me yet." Raph quickly said as he touched his hand against Leo's head. "Stay awake fer me."

"Tired…"

"No you're not. Ya ain't passin' out on me, Leo! Ya hea-AW, FUCK! Whaddaya think yer doin', Karai!" Raph squeezed his eyes shut as he gripped his brother tighter in the brief flash of pain in his side.

"I am trying to safely remove metal support from you side." Karai said, coldly. "Unless you wish to stay like that."

"How 'bout tha next time somethin' falls, I'll make sure _you_ get trapped with sum'thing stuck up inside ya, huh?" Raphael growled back.

"…Raph?"

Raphael looked back down at his brother, already expecting what Leonardo had noticed. Leo's dark brown eyes were on him and Raph could read the curious worry. "I'm alright, Leo. Just got cut by sum'thin' when the place caved a bit." Leo's eyes narrowed in response.

"Is it bad?" He asked in a ghost of his former authoritative voice.

"N-" Raphael began.

"Yes." Karai cut him off.

"It ain't that bad." Raph argued, trying to shoot her a scathing glance though she was out of his line of vision.

"So the possibility that you could bleed to death is 'not that bad'?" Karai asked.

"Keep yer comments to yourself, lady." Raph snapped back.

"Ugh…Stah-stop fighting," Leonardo groaned. "Your voice is…loud. M'head hurts…"

"Ah, sorry, bro." Raphael said, softly.

Somewhere behind him, Raph heard a small noise that had to have been Karai, but he didn't know what she was implying with it. Then he clenched his teeth as he felt the metal shift before it was pulled out of his side. Raph did not have a chance to breathe before something was pressed hard against his side. He made strangled sound before whipping his head around to glare at Karai. Before he could say a think, Karai addressed him instead.

"If this is not held against that wound, you _will_ bleed out, Raphael. I do not want to hear any rebuttal. I am not in the mood." She was glaring back at him and Raphael watched as she began to push the only thing still holding Raph down, off of his shell. As soon as it _was_ off, Raph grabbed at the cloth that was pressed against his bleeding wound – it looked like it had might have been torn off Karai's Foot uniform – and rolled off his brother to sit down.

"'Bout time." Raphael managed through gritted teeth. He was still gasping slightly from the object being removed.

"How…bad is it?" Leonardo's quiet voice asked.

Raphael waited until he had his breath back before he spoke again. "I said it ain't bad. Jus' bleedin' like a bitch." He growled when he saw Leo try to sit up before pushing him back down with his free hand. "Oh, no ya don't, fearless."

"Raph…" Again, Leo's eyes fluttered, threatening to pass out again. "Just lemme see…"

Raph conveniently waited until his brother's eyes slipped closed. He didn't plan on worrying his brother now when Leo was so bad off himself. It wasn't the time for it. Raphael waited for a little while for the blood to stop flowing, but it seemed to continue to seep through the black cloth. With each beat of his heart, more blood would pulse out of the wound. It wasn't difficult for him to figure out this was bad.

Just to make things worse, Karai was glaring at him. Why was she glaring at him? Raph didn't know but it was starting to irk him something fierce. Until finally, "What?"

"How are we going to get out of here now?" She asked, coldly.

"Hey, it ain't my fault I'm bleedin' all ova tha place. Yer tha one who set tha bomb ta blow this place up." Raph growled.

"I told you, it was not my order."

"Then why were ya in tha area and why did yer ninjas attack us?"

"They were not following my orders."

"Then who, lady?" Raph was getting tired of her games and it was evident in his voice.

"My father."

At that, Raph sat up straighter with a hint of alarm. He tried to pass it off as just a change of position. "Ain't possible. Shredder's been outcasted ta anotha planet – not even a planet; an _asteroid_. He ain't coming back."

"He will be soon." Karai said, and Raph detected an underlying emotion to her words that he couldn't quite place. "He made contact thirty-six hours ago…"

"No, yer lyin'. He ain't _comin'_ back! He's gone fer good this time. You just want him ta be back."

"Raphael, I am telling the truth. The Shredder will return. I have tried to keep Leonardo's truce, but my father does not believe in such a thing. The Foot listen only to Shredder and not to me. I was only filling in. Few are loyal to my cause. I did not want this. My anger has already left me. I have no quarrel with your family. Especially on Christmas."

"Why would I believe you?" Raphael snapped, "You tried ta get us all killed on _your_ order. What makes this any different?"

"I am sure you understand anger more than anyone." She said, and this time he did recognize the emotion covering her words. He couldn't believe it. She sounded…regretful. "Leonardo helped me to remember. I have been thinking much and I know of my father's crimes. I cannot ignore them any longer. It is hard – Oroku Saki- or…Ch'rell… – he raised me; took me in when no one else even spared me a glance. It feels like I am throwing all that away, but I know he never had the honor I was inbred with. Because of this, my own honor has been stained with the blood he had shed when I stood by and did nothing. I refuse to continue on with this regret. I swear on my life that I will help you make it out of here. You _and_ your brother. It is the only thing that can give me forgiveness for myself."

"Nice litta speech, but I ain't believin' it 'less I see it."

"That is understandable. I have not given you reason to believe me." She said before glancing away, "So are you going to try to get back to getting us out of here? We do not have time to do anything about that cut. If we do not hurry, you will bleed to death."

"Oh thanks fer remindin' me." Raphael said; his voice laced in sarcasm. He then struggled to his feet and slowly made his way over to the edge. Already, dizziness attacked him, but he shook it off as he began feeling for weaknesses. He kept one hand pressed against his side, but already he felt very light-headed. He wondered how much blood he had already lost. His eyes narrowed his forced focus. Each second that passed just made it worse until his eyes were threatening to close. He barely registered his shaky legs before he stumbled to his knees, gripping his head with the hand that wasn't on his side.

"Raphael?"

_Raphael…_

Raph turned his head to the voice and frowned. He thought the voice sounded male, but it wasn't Leo… He narrowed his eyes as he looked upon a figure in the distance. He couldn't quite see it but it definitely looked male _and human?_ Slowly, Raphael got to his feet and moved towards the figure. Distantly, he could still hear someone calling his name. He saw the figure pointing to a spot of the wall and, when Raph looked, a small light was shining through it. Immediately, he ran over and peeked through the opening before starting to make it wider.

"Raphael!"

"I think I found an exit!" Raph called back to Karai, annoyed that she was still calling him.

"Finally." She said, sighing somewhere behind him.

When the hole was big enough to look through, Raph tried to judge where it came out at. He frowned when he realized he was looking out a nearly complete window six stories above the ground. "Well that's just perfect."

"What is it?" Karai asked. He could hear her shifting position behind him.

"We're gonna hafta climb." Raphael sighed. "And I seriously wonder how we're gonna do that…" He knelt down on the ground as another flash of light-headedness hit him.

"It would be a good time for your brothers to arrive…"

"Karai? How strong are you?" Raph glanced back at her, wondering if the idea he just got was a smart one. He saw Karai raise a brow at him. "Can ya pull yerself up? And…I may need yer help wit' Leo…"

"What are you thinking?" She asked, curiously with what could be worry.

"This is one-time deal alright? Yer not gonna let Leo fall when we get out there. I'll be helpin' so I'll make sure ya won't." Raphael glared at her. "Promise me."

"I swear on my honor, Raphael." Karai said with a cold stare. "Whether or not you believe me."

Raph took his time before he broke eye contact. "We need rope. Does Leo have his grappling hook on him?" If he didn't feel like he'd pass out if he stood, he would have checked his brother himself. Instead, he had to watch as Karai retrieved the rope from his brother. Leonardo didn't even flinch, showing that he was still unconscious. This only increased Raph's anxiety. He hoped they could get out soon so they could look at what was really going on in Leo's head.

"Alright," Raph sighed, "Tie it 'round 'im and get ova here. We gotta hurry 'fore tha rest a' this place caves in." _And then I gotta find Don and Mike. Where tha hell are those two already? They betta not be in this mess too._ A distant rumbling had him glancing up. "Dammit, hurry up!"

A shuffling told him that Karai was trying to pull herself over and he caught a glimpse of her cold frustration with her injuries. It was so fleeting, he could have missed it. As soon as she was near enough, Raphael took his brother from her. He held a hand over his brother's beak and frowned when he felt Leonardo's breathing had only grown more shallow and uneven.

"How do you plan to escape this building when you are so injured yourself?" Karai asked, breaking Raph's thoughts. He glanced up at her to see her staring at the blood-soaked make-shift bandaging on Raph's side.

"Fuck off. I can do this." With that, Raph pulled Leo onto his back and took the excess rope to tie it around himself to keep his brother there. Then he tossed the rest to Karai. "Buckle up, Princess."

He didn't wait to see Karai's response, but he could imagine the scorn anyway. It was enough to get him to his knees as he looked out the gaping hole. The added weight of his brother caused his legs to tremble as his vision blacked-out for a second. He roughly shook his head to clear it. He could NOT pass out now.

"Are you ready?" Karai asked from somewhere behind him.

Raph scoffed, "'Course I am." He found his shuko spikes still in his belt and put them on as he crawled out of the hole. He hung for a moment as Karai climbed out next without even using her legs at all. Raph felt her staring at him as he caught his breath. It frustrated him that she thought he couldn't climb down a wall. It was only made worse that he feared the same. He felt weak. As he climbed down, he caught himself coughing. The blood speckling the wall and his arm warned him something was really wrong. It all came back to that side wound. _This is fuckin' great!_ He already knew he wasn't going to make it. It only took one miss-step and then the whole building shook. His loose hold couldn't save him as his brother's weight finally pulled him backwards and tumbling down towards the black asphalt below. Consciousness left him as he finally jerked to a painful stop…

…And then he could see the ground, hovering only a few feet above it. It looked like maybe he didn't die. His chest reminded him he was definitely still alive when the pain started up again. He checked for Leo, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt his brother stir, before he looked above him. "What tha hell?" He yelled up as he noticed Karai perched on a bare flagpole and holding Raphael up with both hands.

"Leonardo saved me so I am only returning the favor." Karai stated. "Now as you are conscious again, prepare yourself for a drop. You are not that far up anymore." Raph watched her take out a tanto and paused with a pointed look at him.

"Ready." Raph grunted. With one slash of the blade, Raphael was falling once again, but this time he landed just a little sloppy. Finally, the nightmare had ended. He untied Leo from his back as he looked around. He only turned his eyes away for one second…

"Raph?" Leo's breathy voice caught his attention and he looked back at his brother. "What are you looking for?"

Raph only smirked, "Karai ditched as soon as she hit bottom. C'mon bro, let's find tha othas." As he tried to pull Leo up, he could already hear the younger brothers yelled greetings. And maybe, hidden among it, he could hear the quiet singing of a Japanese lullaby.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:****Okay, the ending I TRIED not to rush, but if it seems bad, it's because of how long this took to write! I just wanted Raph out ;) PLEASE REVIEW!**


End file.
